After spending three nights in Long Island for Christmas, we drove up North for 6 hours to Vermont. Black Bear Inn in Bolton Valley allows pets in some rooms. Moreover, they allow well-behaved pets to be left unsupervised and uncrated. The inn is located right next to a ski slope, so you can pop in and out while skiing to check on your furry friends.

This was the first Inn/Lodge experience for Kaiju, so we chose very carefully. The innkeepers had told us that the room was right next to the service door, and we did not have to go through the lobby to go in and out of the room. This sounded perfect for the scaredy pup like Kaiju.

He was quite nervous when we brought him into the room. The bed there was really high. He jumped up on it, sat there, and shivered for half an hour. He looked nervously at all the windows, doors, fixtures, especially the ceiling fan (which was not moving) and kept trembling. We ended up giving him some meds to help him not feel so horrible about being there. Outside... was a different story. Every time he sensed that we were stepping out for any reason, he jumped down from the bed and started stretching. He loved it. It was so frigid outside. One of the two days that we were supposed to ski, we couldn't because it was too windy and cold, and all the lifts were stopped. None of that mattered to Kaiju. He wanted to go outside again and again.

There was this path to a ski slope, across the parking lot from the inn, and it was his favorite. Even when we meant to take him out briefly for potty, just in the lot, he somehow manipulated us into going all the way to the path and through it.

We went away for hours at a time, more than several times, leaving him alone in the room. We made sure to put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and set up a camera to monitor him. We were happy to learn that he just sat on the bed and slept. He made no noise.

He has definitely proved himself fit enough to join us for road trips. Hooray! We are now totally motivated to go find more accommodations that are suited for this scaredy dog.

Kaiju is at Paul's parents' place again. He was just here a month ago for Thanksgiving. This is his 3rd time here, and he is clearly feeling a lot more comfortable. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, he showed clear signs of excitement. He got out of the car happily, and insisted to be taken to his "regular" pee spot which is about 5 minutes walk away from the house. When we finally walked into the house, he headed straight to our bedroom, but came out to roam around in the kitchen and the livingroom soon enough, although carefully. We did not give him any meds for the arrival, unlike the last time, but he seemed okay. And of course, the backyard is making him happy as always.

He was pretty skeptical of the big Xmas tree and all the boxes around it, but we managed to lure him closer with some treats last night for some photos. And, although he escaped to the bedroom as soon as the boxes started getting unwrapped, he scored some very nice toys from his Grand Humans and Paul.

Today was a big day. A bunch of relatives came over to this house to celebrate the holiday. We made sure to medicate him and to give him a plenty of fun time before people started arriving. We wanted to tire him out to help him relax. We had the bedroom ready for him to hide out, too, so he wouldn't feel pressured at all to be anywhere near the crowd.

Then, he gave us the surprising performance. He stayed in the living room where Paul was sitting while more and more people arrived. He stayed on the couch, definitely very alert but also curious. Paul and I were beside ourselves with joy. It was most likely the effect of Xanax, thanks to which he was able to enjoy the attention from everyone. It rained treats wherever he went. Instead of running away, he was taking them very cautiously.

He even followed the aroma of grilled Greek sausages and ventured into the dining area where everyone stood around and talked. He didn't get the sausage, but he got tons of beef treats. He also begged to be let outside to the backyard. When we did, he went a little too crazy, running at a lightening speed in big circles non-stop. The whole situation was a bit too stimulating for him, it seemed. We had to grab him and put him back inside to prevent over-excitement.

Eventually, he retired to the bedroom and rested for the remainder of the night. After many glasses of various drinks, Paul also joined him in the sweet little slumber party.

We saw this very nice picture of a Shiba Inu with big brown antlers. We just couldn't resist. We had to try. The same costume was not available at a local pet shop. The only one in that store was this white one.

Kaiju seemed okay for 5 seconds...

Then he froze... like this.

We are very sorry for doing this, Kaiju. We have given you the ears back. Your fuzzy upright ears are so much cuter than the antlers anyway.